


Bringing the Heat

by SkyJourney



Category: Fallen Hero Series - Malin Rydén, Fallen Hero: Rebirth (Video Game)
Genre: Cuddling, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Food, M/M, food date, hal is bringing the heat, i guess i just like characters eating and waking up, its called, look hal is a competitive sidestep, there are several meals in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-18 21:36:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20319886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyJourney/pseuds/SkyJourney
Summary: "Maybe being irrational wasn’t all that bad after all."A relaxing dinner date turns competitive. A series of bad decisions leads to temporary happiness.





	1. In which Hal is Very Competitive

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lea_vesfalling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lea_vesfalling/gifts).

In a surprising twist, the date idea had come from Hal. He’d been walking home from Ortega’s place after an evening relaxing and watching a movie in his living room, when he’d passed by the small restaurant. The glow from inside was warm and inviting, and that smell. Oh that smell was irresistible. He didn’t even bother looking at the menu- anything that smelled that good surely had the taste to match. He brought it up the next time he met up with Ortega, who practically jumped at the chance to actually go out somewhere on a date. Turned out that it was somewhere he’d been a few times before too- a Vietnamese restaurant that really did taste as good as it smelled, better even. 

That was how Hal found himself sitting across from Ortega at a small two-seater near the side of the restaurant. It was a hole-in-the-wall, to call it small would be generous, and the decor was as down to Earth as it got. A perfect choice.The longer Hal sat in his wooden chair, the more relaxed he became, Ortega’s eager smile and the pleasant smells getting to him. It wasn’t long before a waitress came up to them, a young woman that didn’t seem to recognize the man in front of her as the famous Charge, or at least was professional enough not to show it as she asked for their orders. 

Ortega smiled as he looked up at the her. That perfect charming smile that was as likely to make Hal melt as it was to make him endlessly jealous. “The soup number 3 for me, please. Hot if you could.”

“Same thing for me, thanks.”

Ortega waited until the waitress had moved on before leaning forward with an expression of earnest concern. “Are you sure that won’t be too spicy for you? They’re not kidding around here.” 

Too spicy? If Ortega thought a little spice would be too much for Hal too handle, he had another thing coming. Faking a look of thankfulness, Hal nodded, and called the waitress back over. “Hi, sorry to bother you. Could I actually get that extra hot instead?” 

It was worth it just to see the brief look of shock on Ortega’s face before he laughed and went “well, this should be an interesting dinner.” 

“Don’t underestimate me, have you forgotten how often we ate together back then?”

“Yes, but that was before you decided you’d rather persist entirely off of bland microwave meals.”

Oh. Shit. Hal tried to remember the last time he’d had a proper spicy meal. The one Ortega had made for them that night a few weeks ago had had some kick to it. He’d handled that just fine right? If he could handle that he could handle this. Yeah. It’d be fine, he could handle the heat. And whatever the outcome, it’d give him something to tease Ortega about, and that was the most important part anyways. 

“You let me worry about that. I’m surprised you didn’t order yours the same.”

“I like being able to taste the actual flavor of my food.”

“Hmmm sounds like something a coward would say.” A wicked grin accompanied the taunt, drawing out a deep laugh from across the table. Ortega calmed himself as the food arrived at the table. “You’re impossible Hal.” 

With a quick wink at Ortega, Hal turned his attention to the soup in front of him. It certainly smelled delicious, and he couldn’t wait to dig in. The spoon was halfway up to his mouth when the comment came. “Don’t burn yourself.”

_ Asshole _ . Hal let the spoon back down into the soup and looked Ortega straight in the eyes as he reached for the bottle these small restaurants always had at the sides of the table. He only had to fumble for a second before his hands found their target, and in one swift motion he had it picked up, turned around, and was shaking its content into his soup, all the while keeping his eyes locked across the table with Ortega’s. That smug joking look fell slowly with each drop, turning more and more concerned as Ortega tried to add up just how hot that soup must be by now. 

Finally satisfied with the results, Hal returned the bottle to its spot and picked his spoon back up. The first spoonful hit him like a slap in the face, and he quickly forced it down trying in vain to suppress the cough that accompanied it. 

“Are you okay?”

Another cough came out as Hal reached for the glass next to his bowl. His voice was raspy when he finally spoke. “Never better.” He paused as another cough threatened to escape him. He had to control himself better- it wouldn’t do to show weakness now. “This is delicious, how’s yours. Not too spicy I hope.”

Ortega laughed. “No, no it’s just the right level.”

“That’s a shame, I can only recommend mine. You should try it next time.”

“Well, how about you leave me a little bit then.”

“Might be difficult, this is so good it’s going to be hard for me to remember not to eat it all.” On cue he reached down and forced another spoonful of the concoction down. “Hmmm, so good.”

“Hal you’re crying.”

“Who couldn’t cry when eating something as incredible as this.” 

Ortega could only shake his head and smile- he’d forgotten how stubborn Hal could be. No, not stubborn. Competitive. It’d come up more than once back in the day, an easily attainable source of amusement for them both. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it. 

The rest of their meal passed in much the same way, with Hal growing increasingly quieter as the minutes passed. Finally he let his spoon drop onto the table, his bowl empty save for the spoonful Ortega had requested. With a sigh Hal leaned back in his chair, dabbing his face with a paper napkin. 

“Is it my turn now?”

Hal waved affirmatively in the direction of his food. Without a second thought Ortega grabbed the spoon lying forgotten on the table and carefully lifted the small remaining soup out of Hal’s bowl. It barely touched his lips before he let out a pained cough.“Oh dear god Hal.”

He got only a pained groan in response. 

“How did you eat a whole bowl of that!?”

“I told you not to underestimate me… asshole.” It was a comment without any fire behind it, the taunt delivered with a grin at the knowledge of his victory. 


	2. Hal's Very Bad Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's about to get Fluffy.

It had been an eventful evening for Hal to say the least.

The consequences of the spicy soup he’d had, if it could still be called soup after what he did to it, made themselves known all too clearly as he left the restaurant. The stomach pain was bad enough to make Hal groan in discomfort as Ortega helped him up out of his chair and towards the door. He swore he saw the waitress laughing slightly and gesturing to the two of them as she spoke in hushed tones to a coworker, sharing the story most likely. It would bother Hal, usually, to be noticed and talked about like that, but having Ortega’s challenge and his own victory over it acknowledged brought a sense of satisfaction over him. 

The cooler evening air was a relief as they stepped out the door and climbed down the two stairs to the front of the restaurant. Hal leaned against Ortega as they reached the bottom, making Ortega laugh as he planted a short kiss on Hal’s forehead. 

“Satisfied with your victory?”

“Hmmm. Very much so.” It was worth it, of course, to prove Ortega wrong, and Hal had to admit that there were worse things than being held and supported by ones boyfriend while walking home. He blushed at the thought. No, not “home.” To Ortega’s apartment. Since when had he become that comfortable being there again? Hal shivered and drew closer to Ortega as they reached the building and made their way up and inside. 

He hadn’t intended to fall asleep, stretched out on Ortega’s couch under a soft blanket, listening to him tease him about the events of the evening. Hal remembered drifting off into that warmth, the happiness, the normality of it all getting to him after a long day. He remembered a kiss pressed gently on his cheek, returned in the form of a happy sigh, and then his fatigue took hold over him and he drifted off into an uncharacteristically dreamless sleep. 

It was dark when Hal woke up, and there was a moment of calm before he realized that the sofa he was lying on wasn’t his own, that the room around him was Ortega’s. Shit shit. He bolted up, the warmth of the blanket falling away as he threw his legs over the side of the sofa and sat, breathing heavily, in the dark. He’d been careful up until now, always leaving, never spending the night no matter how much he wanted to, no matter how tempting it was to fall asleep in Ortega’s arms. That warmth, that comfort… It wasn’t something he could allow himself. The risk of getting too comfortable, of slipping up and having his secret discovered, of deluding himself into thinking he deserved this happiness… it was too great a risk to take. 

Fumbling, Hal found the light switch for the floor lamp he knew was nearby. Ortega had lowered the steel shutters on the windows, and it took Hal’s eyes a moment to adjust to the pitch darkness being pierced by the bright light. As it became easier to see again, he noticed, lying on the table in front of him, a piece of paper and a key. Hal picked up the paper first, unfolding it to reveal a short note from Ortega. 

_ “The code for the alarm is xxxx. You can keep the key. <3.”  _

Ortega expected him to leave. 

The realization filled Hal with guilt and he felt his cheeks turning red. He knew Ortega wasn’t shaming him for the choice- Ortega didn’t understand why Hal always left, or what secret he was so desperately trying to hide, but he understood that it was important to him. He never pressured Hal, always careful not to push him away. 

With a sigh Hal placed the note back onto the table and sat with his head in his hands. He wanted to stay, more than anything. It was fear that made him hide, logic that made him leave each night. It was the rational thing to do but maybe… maybe for once he didn’t want to be rational. 

Hal trembled as he placed his hoodie down next to him, feeling all too exposed despite the black long sleeved shirt he wore beneath it. It felt too tight on him in comparison, missing that familiar and comfortable bulkiness that made him feel covered up, safe. He took a deep breath to calm himself. It’d be fine. The sleeves weren’t the kind to roll up easily, and even if they did the tattoos didn’t start until a little further up the arm. It should be enough to keep them out of sight. His legs too, he could deal with. Carefully Hal tucked the ends of his pants into his socks. It wasn’t particularly elegant, but it should hold well enough and there was always the extra blanket layer as well. 

With one last glance at the key and note, Hal switched the living room light off and carefully made his way towards the direction of the bedroom door. A bit of stumbling around and slapping the wall in search of the door later, and he found himself standing by Ortega’s bed. The sheets were soft and warm as he climbed in and settled in behind Ortega. Ortega’s breaths were even and gentle, and Hal buried his face in his back and put an arm around him. If Ortega woke up, Hal couldn’t tell. His mind had always been closed to him, and he didn’t react as Hal placed his hand above Ortega’s, hooking their fingers gently together. It didn’t take Hal long to fall asleep again, a peace he didn’t know he could feel washing over him, his worries forgotten as his breathing fell in line with Ortega’s. 

Maybe being irrational wasn’t all that bad after all. 


	3. Finally Some Good Fucking Decisions

The shrill sound of Ortega’s alarm pierced the dark room. Hal groaned at the sound and wrapped his arms tighter around Ortega- who wakes up to an alarm on a weekend? Annoyed he opened his eyes. The blackout curtains kept things darker than normal, with only the light coming in from the sides left to illuminate the room, and in the dim light he could just make out Ortega reaching with one hand to turn the alarm off- and then freeze. 

“Um. Hal?”

Hal let out an annoyed sound and buried his head in Ortega’s back. “No. I’m sleeping.” 

“Oh, good thank you for clarifying. Here I was thinking you were running a marathon.” 

“Don’t ruin the moment.”   
  
Hal could feel Ortega’s arm move and a moment later the alarm finally stopped. “Fine fine, I won’t question how my boyfriend who never spends the night somehow ended up cuddling with me in my bed then.” It was said with a chuckle and Hal couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Ortega’s antics. Not even fully awake yet and already making snide remarks. Asshole. Not that Hal would have it any other way. With the arm wrapped around Ortega he gently grabbed his hand, holding it in his own as they lay there in the dim morning light, not tired enough to go back to sleep but not quite ready to get up yet. Hal let out a satisfied hum as Ortega leaned back against him, their legs intertwining. It was a serene moment, quiet and peaceful in a way Hal had feared it couldn’t be. 

“Sooo I hate to interrupt this but I have to ask...” 

Damnit Ortega. 

“Are you wearing socks right now?”

“Yes.”

“With the ends of your pants tucked into them?”

“And there goes that moment.” With an annoyed huff Hal released Ortega and turned over onto his back. At least he knew his system had worked; he could feel that the sleeves of his shirt hadn’t moved in the night, and it seemed the shirt was still tucked into his pants as well. As much as Ortega’s questions were annoying, they were better than the questions he’d have if he caught a glimpse the orange tattoos covering Hal’s body, snaking their way up his arms and legs to meet on his chest. 

The mattress moving under Hal as Ortega turned to face him, an apologetic smile on his face as he leaned forward and kissed Hal. “Forgive me?” 

Hal grinned back contently and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Ortega’s air. “Hmm I don’t know. I’ll consider it if you make me breakfast.” 

“So demanding! Stealing the warmth of my bed and then stealing my food.” 

“Hmmm with how hot it is outside you should be thanking me for stealing some of that warmth. Besides,” he playfully poked Ortega’s side “you’ve been trying to bribe me with breakfast if I spend the night for weeks now.” 

“Bribe! Nonsense.” Ortega’s laugh was accompanied by a shake of the head as he gave Hal another kiss and forced himself out of bed, the sudden motion causing his shoulder to make a cracking sound. Hal leaned back on the bed, a content sigh escaping him as he made himself comfortable again. It wasn’t long before the sound of Ortega humming drifted in through the open bedroom door. Through the door Hal caught glimpses of him as he drifted between the kitchen and the dining table, an apron secured loosely over his pajamas. The smell of food reached his nose, and his stomach growled in response. Hal was already sitting up, his feet swung over the side of the bed by the time Ortega appeared in the doorway a teasing grin on his face. 

“Breakfast is ready, as you demanded.” 

Hal raised an eyebrow, his hands folded over his chest. With a sigh Ortega raised his hands in the air. “Fine fine, as I bribed you with.” 

Content with the answer, Hal pushed past Ortega to the breakfast table, already set and covered with food that Hal knew from experience would taste as good as it smelled. Ortega pulled up a chair for Hal before sitting down himself. 

“You know you won’t get out of cleaning up after I set the table up for you and everything.”

Hal only grunted in response, mouth already full of food. It really was delicious, flavorful in a way that Hal had often tried, but never quite managed to recreate. It took all his self control to stay present in the conversation Ortega was having with him at all, and he almost missed the question aimed his way. 

“Just tell me one thing Hal. When we were fighting for our lives against Psychopathor, were you wearing cute dog socks under your suit?”

Hal turned bright red. “No!” Biting his lip, he turned his head away from Ortega and mumbled something. 

“Sorry I don’t think I caught that.”   
  


His face a mixture of anger and embarrassment, Hal took a deep breath. “It was cute pig socks…” The declaration was met with laughter, only deepening the look on Hal’s face. “Jerk…” Hal shoved another bite of the eggs into his mouth, and despite the insults directed at Ortega and the warmth spreading to his cheeks, he had to smile; damnit the food was good. It was more than that though. He didn’t want to admit it, spent the better part of a year denying the truth not just to Ortega but to himself. 

He missed this. The ease with which they could spend hours in this rhythm, gentle teasing matched with affectionate insults. It was different with Ortega than it was when he saw Mortum through his puppet, easier in some ways but so much harder in others. Sitting here, sharing a meal with Ortega in an apartment that he’d once viewed almost as a second home, Hal could feel his barriers lowering in a way he hadn’t allowed himself to do for the better part of a decade. There was an anxiety too, a fear of what could happen if he let himself get comfortable like this, but Hal forced it down, back to the depths it had emerged from. For this morning, maybe just for this moment, he could be happy. 

**Author's Note:**

> I swear I write things for myself too. Hal is still my friend Lea's sidestep.


End file.
